Aechmea plant named ‘Inca’

ABSTRACT

An Aechmea plant named ‘Inca’ characterized by having a compact plant shape and large inflorescence; wide, green, tongue-shaped foliage that is suffused with white-grey color; arched foliage which decreases from the bottom to the top of the plant; foliage that has no spines on the leafedge; large, long lasting, red-pink inflorescence which is heavily branched; and bracts with reddish-pink tinged tips on younger bracts and yellow tips on older bracts which make them distinctly visible.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention comprises a new and distinct cultivar of Aechmeaplant, hereinafter referred to by the cultivar name ‘Inca’. The genusAechmea is a member of the family Bromeliaceae.

Aechmea comprises a genus of more than 168 species of evergeenperennials suitable for cultivation in the home or in the greenhouse.Aechmea may be terrestrial or epiphytic. For the most part, the speciesvary in diameter from 12 to 18 inches to 3 or 4 feet and have rosettesof spiny-edged leaves.

Flowers and bracts of Aechmea frequently have brilliant colors and maylast for several months. The range of colors for Aechmea is generallyfrom the yellow through orange but may also include pink, orange, redand red-purple. Tubular, three-petalled flowers may also appear but areusually short-lived.

Aechmea may be advantageously grown as pot plants for greenhouse or homeuse. Typically, the plants are shaded from direct sunlight; and thecentral, vaselike part of the leaf rosette is normally filled withwater.

Aechmea is native to tropical America. Leaves of Aechmea are usuallyformed as basal rosettes which are still and entire and in severalvertical ranks. Aechmea has terminal spikes or panicles which are oftenbracted with petals united in a tube longer than the calyx.

Asexual propagation of Aechmea is frequently done through the use oftissue culture practices. Propagation can also be from offshoots whichcan be detached from the mother plant and grown in an appropriate soilor bark mixture. Methods for cultivating and crossing of Aechmea arewell known.

The new cultivar is a product of a planned breeding program and wasoriginated from a hybridization made during such a program in Balsa,Costa Rica in 1988. The female or seed parent was Aechmea tessmanii. Themale or pollen parent was Aechmea flavo rosea×Aechmea fasciata(spinelessform). ‘Inca’ was discovered and selected as a fowering plant within theprogeny of the stated cross by the inventor, Chester Skotak, Jr., in1995, in a controlled environment in Balsa, Costa Rica.

‘Inca’ is characterized by its spineless leaves and tall, reddish-pinkinflorescence, which keeps its color for several months. ‘Inca’ isdistinguishable from the female parent by its lack of spines, smoothfoliage surface, and smaller habitus (50-55 cm) than Aechmea tessmanii.‘Inca’ has shorter foliage (30-35 cm) than that of Aechmea tessmanii(50-70 cm). ‘Inca’ is distinguishable from the male parents by its lackof spines. ‘Inca’ has a smooth foliage surface and its inflorescence isheavily branched when compared to Aechmea fasciata. ‘Inca’ has a largerhabitus than Aechmea flavo rosea.

Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar by tissue culture was performedby the inventor in a controlled environment in Balsa, Costa Rica in1996, and has demonstrated that the combination of characteristics asherein disclosed for the new cultivar are firmly fixed and retainedthrough successive generations of asexual reproduction.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined tobe basic characteristics of ‘Inca’ which in combination distinguish thisAechmea as a new and distinct cultivar:

1. Compact plant shape and large inflorescence;

2. Wide, green, tongue-shaped foliage that is suffused with white-greycolor;

3. Arched foliage which decreases from the bottom to the top of theplant;

4. Foliage that has no spines on the leaf edge;

5. Large, long lasting, red-pink inflorescence which is heavilybranched; and

6. Bracts with reddish-pink tinged tips on younger bracts and yellowtips on older bracts which make them distinctly visible.

‘Inca’ has not been observed under all possible environmentalconditions. The phenotype of the new cultivar may vary significantlywith variations in environment such as temperature, light intensity, anddaylength, without any change in genotype.

Of the many commercial cultivars known to the present inventor, the mostsimilar in comparison to ‘Inca’ are the cultivars ‘Friedericke’ (U.S.Plant Pat. No. 5,872) and Aechmea plant named ‘Maya’ (U.S. pending PlantPat. Ser. No. 09/419,913). The arch and shape of the leaves and thewhite-grey suffusion on the leaf-surface of ‘Inca’ are similar to thoseof ‘Friedericke’. However, ‘Friedericke’ has a more compressedinflorescence whereas ‘Inca’ has a more developed inflorescence with aconical form. The color of the inflorescence of ‘Inca’ is red-pink withyellow accents whereas the inflorescence of ‘Friedericke’ is pinker incolor. The basal bracts of ‘Inca’ cover one-third to one-half of theinflorescence, whereas the basal bracts of ‘Friedericke’ cover the wholeinflorescence.

‘Inca’ and ‘Maya’ have a similar plant and leaf shape. However, theinflorescence of ‘Inca’ is more conical-shaped whereas the inflorescenceof ‘Maya’ is more dome-shaped. The inflorescence of ‘Inca’ has a darker,red-pink color than the inflorescence of ‘Maya’.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

The accompanying photographic illustration is a perspective view of thefoliage and inflorescence of a typical ‘Inca’ plant, with colors beingas true as possible with illustrations of this type.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The following observations, measurements and values describe 12 monthold plants grown in Evergem, Belgium, under greenhouse conditions whichclosely approximate those generally used in horticultural practice.Color references are made to The Royal Horticultural Society (R.H.S.)Colour Chart, except where general colors of ordinary significance areused.

Classification:

Commercial.—Aechmea cv. ‘Inca’.

Parentage:

Male parent.—Aechmea flavo rosea×Aechmea fasciata (spineless form).

Female parent.—Aechmea tessmanii.

Propagation: Vegetative, by tissue culture.

Plant:

Form.—Funnel-form rosette.

Height.—Approximately 63 cm when flowering, including 13 cm pot androotstock.

Diameter.—Approximately 60-65 cm.

Growth habit.—Upright.

Vigor.—The growing time of a commercial line out of a 50 cell pack to ablooming plant is 12 months.

Foliage:

Shape.—Ligulate, tongue-shaped, and strongly arching from the middle tothe top. The arching decreases from the bottom to the top of the plant.

Arrangement.—Rosulate.

Apex.—Mucronate.

Size.—Approximately 30-50 cm long and 7-9 cm wide.

Color.—Sheath: Green (RHS 147B) suffused with white-grey (RHS 191B andC). Leaf brade: Upper leaf surface: Green (RHS 147A) suffused with grey(RHS 191C). Lower leaf surface: Green (RHS 137C), heavily suffused withgrey (RHS 191D).

Margin.—Spineless.

Veins.—Not visible.

Surface texture.—Smooth (both upper and lower surfaces).

Number of leaves.—20 to 25 .

Inflorescence:

Habit.—Spike, conical-shaped, approximately 20-25 cm in diameter and 25cm in height, approximately 20-22 spirally arranged bracts on the mainstem.

Main stem.—Round, tomentose, approximately 30-35 cm long and 1 cm indiameter, red-pink (RHS 39A).

Primary bracts.—Longer than the bracts, reaching up to ⅓ to ½inflorescence, approximately 5.5 to 12 cm long and 3-4 cm wide; thecolor of the upperside is red-orange (RHS 42A and B), the lower surfacetexture tomentose, upper surface texture glabrous, margin entire, acuteto attenuate apex.

Secondary stem.—Oval to flattened, approximately 0.8 to 1.0 cm and 0.6cm wide, red (RHS 39A), tomentose surface texture.

Secondary bracts.—Approximately 20 to 22 in number, approximately 2.5 to3 cm long and 1-2 cm wide, yellow at the base (RHS 1C) and red at thetop (RHS 42A and B); the bracts on the side have a more flattened formthan the bracts on the top of the inflorescence, upper surface textureglabrous, lower surface texture tomentose, margins entire, ellipticshape, acute to attenuate apex.

Flowers.—1 per bract, many flowering at the same time. Petals: 3, baseyellow, (RHS 4D), top is red-pink (RHS 38A), approximately 7-10 mm longand 3-4 mm wide, both upper and lower surface texture glabrous, marginsentire, ovate to elliptic shape, acute to acuminate apex. Sepals: 3,white base more yellow to the top, approximately 8-13 mm long and 3-6 mmwide, both upper and lower surface texture glabrous, margins entire,ovate to elliptic shape, acute to acuminate apex. Stamens: 6 per flower,RHS 158A, approximately 5-10 mm long. Pistils: 1 per flower with 3 lobedstigma, RHS 158A, approximately 8-10 mm long.

Other significant characteristics: The inflorescence holds its color forapproximately 5 to 6 months.

I claim:
 1. A new and distinct Aechmea plant named ‘Inca’, substantiallyas illustrated and described herein.